Thailand's prime minister has called the flooding in the south that has displaced thousands of people "one of the worst natural calamities" to hit the country. Bangkok's only aircraft carrier, which rarely leaves its berth, was deployed to help out. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva spoke after inspecting the battered region from a military aircraft. A tropical depression that dumped constant rain on the area triggered the flooding, causing the suspension of some rail services to the south and the temporary closure of the airport on Samui island, a popular tourist getaway in the Gulf of Thailand. Severe flooding has also caused mass evacuations just over the border in Malaysia
This aerial photograph released by the Royal Thai Air Force shows the flooded city of Hat Yai. Thailand is battling to rescue thousands of people stranded in their homes after flash floods - several metres deep in places - swept through the city, cutting power and communications. Rising waters inundated Hat Yai, a city of more than 150,000 in Songkhla province, affecting tens of thousands of people, possibly including foreign tourists
Picture: AFP/GETTY
Wednesday 26 January 2011
Floods in Thailand and Malaysia - Telegraph
via telegraph.co.uk
